Hold On, We're Going Home
by Xtattic
Summary: Sequel to Take Care. Nearly five years after leaving Dillon, Tyra finds herself in some trouble and goes back home with her child. Was she ready to face the things she ran from in the first place? What about the people she left behind? All those connections were severed when she left without a word but now she was back. Back to face her some of her mistakes. /Tim/Tyra/TheTaylor's/
1. Ran Off In The Night

**disclaimer: i own nothing.**

**Sequel to Take Care.**

* * *

**chapter one**

**ran off in the night**

_**four and a half years later...**_

The sun was high in the Louisiana sky this Tuesday afternoon. There was a light breeze drifting through the last month of summer as the leaves were already starting to fall. It felt like any other day but with what happened last night, it definitely wasn't.

"C'mon, Mindy... why are you doing this?" Tyra paced back and fourth in her small two bedroom apartment. She didn't want her sister to leave because she knew she'd be leaving, too.

Mindy was in her room packing her stuff after another fight with Tyra. She just couldn't take it anymore, not after last night, and the fact that she was miles away from home didn't help. It wasn't their average sisterly fight either. Tyra fucked up big time in Mindy's book. "I just want to go home, Tyra! I thought this was a good idea at first... but not anymore. You're crazy, I can't believe this shit!"

When Mindy mentioned 'home' she almost didn't think about Texas at first. Of course, Dillon was home but she spent the last couple of years in Baton Rouge, La. After she found all the money Tim left her, she left herself. The things he was involved in... she didn't even want to know the full extent of. She was scared at first and when she saw a way out with the money, she took it. Now though, she recently found herself in some trouble of her own, which was why Mindy was leaving.

About a year ago, she started dating this guy and of course, with her rap sheet, he wasn't the best of guys. Hell, he made Tim Riggins look like a stand up guy. He was a twenty-five year old named Brandon Pulido and his father owned a casino and hotel in the heart of downtown. She was taken by his status and the fact that he seemed legit, unlike the things Tim as doing. They hit if off pretty well in the beginning. Brandon was even patient with her during the first months they didn't sleep together. Eventually they did and that was what seemed to be the turning point for Brandon's behavior toward her. He started treating her different, like he wasn't chasing after her anymore. She didn't really mind because when it came down to it, he was a support system for her and her child.

Tyra looked down at her son. He was going to be four years old in a few weeks. She couldn't believe her little boy had already grown so much. It felt like just yesterday that she was in labor with him at the hospital. When the thought of hospitals came up, she cringed at what caused her to dump Brandon without hesitation. He hit her. It wasn't just a slap either. He straight up punched her in the face like he would another guy after a heated argument. Even though he was drunk, she didn't care. She took Tate and left him a week ago.

Tate. That's what she named the little Riggins boy. She also graced him with his father's last name. She didn't know exactly why she wrote that on his birth certificate. Maybe it was the drugs she was on or maybe she thought it wouldn't weigh as heavy on him as it did on his father. He was Tim's son after all and regardless of his last name, she would always know where he came from.

"Well... ugh, I had to do something. He's a prick." Tyra defended her decision to steal from Brandon. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror by the front door. Her black eye had healed already but it had been bad.

During her relationship with him, she had access to his bank accounts. There were never any questions about anything she bought or why. At least until she decided to clear one of them out last week. Now her phone was blowing up and what was scaring her sister off was that somebody tried to break in last night. It scared the shit out of her as well, but she figured it was Brandon.

"You're being so selfish!" Mindy yelled as she finally came out of her room with her things. "You have a kid to think about, Tyra. This isn't high school anymore... grow up!" She pulled Tyra's luggage from the corner and opened them. "Now, get the money and let's go home... please." Mindy did not approve of what Tyra did but she already had the money, might as well take it.

She stared at her sister who never looked as desperate as she did right now. Tyra had always known Mindy to be the head strong, loud mouth of the family and loved her so. Without words, she went into her room and starting gathering things for her and Tate. Realizations of what Mindy was trying to get through to her happened as she gathered some of his clothes. She _was_ being selfish by putting her wants and needs before her sons. She was supposed to be living her life _for _him but she really wasn't.

She still had a little bit of her own money still, but Brandon had helped her a lot over the last year. A little regret made itself present in her stomach but there wasn't anything she could do about it now. She had over a hundred grand stuffed into a bag that she was packing in next to Tate's belongings. After she packed everything she could and got Tate a bag ready for the long drive, the Collette sisters set out on their trip back to Dillon, Texas.

* * *

"Dude, I'm serious... stop." Landry said firmly, after Tim nudged him while stepping over him. He opened his eyes to see that he passed out on the floor from the party they had last night.

"Dude... get up." It was already almost noon and Tim was itching to get the place cleaned up. He threw an empty beer can at him. "C'mon, man. Go take a shower then help me clean this place up. I'll start on the kitchen." He chuckled as Landry pulled himself up off the floor like we weighed a thousand pounds. Oh, how well he knew that feeling. "Hey, and if you're gonna get sick... tub or toilet, man."

Landry had been Tim's newest roommate since the beginning of summer, when he became an official police officer for Travis County. Tim didn't share what he did for a living with just anybody, but Landry had already known about it from an encounter in high school. So, with knowing that, one would think that he would never even consider the idea of living with Tim Riggins. One _would_ think, but one would also be wrong. When Tyra left, Landry felt a little lost, too. Tim happened to be around and could relate even more to what he was feeling. She left while she was still pregnant with his kid. They didn't even know if it was a girl or a boy... or if she even had it. It was fucked up what she did and nobody could or would deny that.

Tim was doing well for himself, though. Maybe that's what attracted Landry to join him in the drug dealing business. Before he started renting this decent three bedroom house in south Austin, Tim was living with Jason in a small apartment downtown. Jason stayed at his place while Tim moved last year. It was just Tim in the house at first, so Landry planned to move in with him after he went through the Police Academy. While he stayed back in Dillon training, Tim started growing his own plants. Landry helped push his stuff through town and it worked pretty well. Since, Julie wasn't in the picture anymore, he pretty much stepped in as Tim's partner. The growing and tending of plants was left to Tim and now Becky, the other roommate, he mainly helped out with selling.

Now that he was a cop, though, he sometimes wondered about what his father would think about what he was doing. He sometimes questioned his own actions but in the end, he just continued doing it. The money was good.

Julie got accepted in to college in the middle of her senior year and ended things with Tim pretty abruptly. She left after graduation last year and what was left of his heart after Tyra took off, she broke. Tim didn't blame her, though. She must have finally realized how bad the shit he did _actually_ was. The cops, the cartel... it wasn't a good combination of people to be working for. She was lucky to have an opportunity to get out of Dillon and start an actual future, which was something Tim couldn't even do for himself. Sure, he got out of the town he hated so much, but he missed it. So much in fact that he took trips with Landry on the occasion just to catch some familiar scenery. Hell, he missed Julie, too. Lately, though, his thoughts were occupied by someone else.

Becky was from Dillon, too, but graduated in Austin last year after moving with her mom. Her mother worked at one of the main bars back home and moved up here two years ago to open her own bar downtown. At first, Tim kept his relationship with Becky platonic because her mother frowned upon it. She knew him and his reputation from back home. But with as much as he'd been hanging around the bar, he was destined to fail. It didn't last long at all since they've been together almost six months now. She also helped Tim out with his little attic operation.

There were dozens and dozens of plants in various stages of growth up there. Ones that were just about ready were disassembled and hung to dry out. After a few days, the buds would be dry enough to trim up and break down into smaller buds. That's usually what Tim let her help with. The nurturing of each plant was left to him, from germinating the seeds to pulling the males and letting the female plants sprout to their full potential. It's been proven that female plants are the stronger than males. Males produced the seeds, though, so some are necessary but not all.

After finally getting dressed and rejoining his roommate downstairs, Landry plopped down on the couch. "Hey, so, I'm going down to visit my folks on Saturday and I got a couple guys looking to re-up."

"Do you know how much?" Tim was standing in the kitchen washing the last of the dirty dishes.

"Not exactly but I know I can get rid of at least a pound. I'll just take two in case, alright?"

Tim nodded and carried on his cleaning. He had one headphone in an ear and the other one dangling down his chest. There was some dumb stuff Julie had put on his iPod over the years and one in particular just happened to come on.

_I'm on my own, I'm on my own,_  
_And I just wanna be me, gotta be free._

The music played on as he wondered how free Julie felt. Now that she was living the college life down on the Gulf Coast, free of his bullshit. He still wondered about her day to day life sometimes. They spent so much time with each other, that it sometimes still felt weird when she wasn't around. He shook his thoughts of her by switching songs on his shuffled playlist. It's been over a year without any word from her. He needed to move on and he had.

Becky was a great girl and he cared for her. She was freshly nineteen while he was two years her senior. He smiled at the thought of her as he shut off the running water. She was upstairs right now, trimming up this new strain he was growing. It was called Strawberry Cough. He wiped his hands on his jeans before making his way up the pull down ladder that led upstairs.

"Hey, babe."

She smiled when his head popped up from the floor. "Hey, whatcha doing?"

"Just finished cleaning the kitchen, now I just gotta get Landry to help me with the living room and we're all set." He sat down on the edge of the table she was working at. There was a wooden rig Tim built himself set in the corner that had quite a few plants hanging out to dry. "So, how'd the new shit turn out."

"It's looking good. Really good. It's just so sticky that most of it is still too wet to handle. Just a few more days and we'll have most of this batch trimmed up and ready to sell."

"Cool. Landry's going to town this weekend and can get rid of a few pounds. I'll probably just give him two bricks of what's already ready. I really wanna save some of this for us."

Becky set down her scissors and looked up at her boyfriend. "You're not going, are you?"

"No... not this time." Becky gave him a devilish grin. He chuckled at her look. "Well, damn... let's just kick him out if this is how you get at the thought of him leaving."

She pushed him playfully. "Shut up, slut."

He leaned down and gave her a kiss before leaving her to go back downstairs. "Oh my God, dude." He said, when he reached the bottom. Landry was passed out again.

"I'm just chilling with my eyes closed. Relax." Landry rubbed his face and stood up. "Let's get his place spotless."

* * *

Texas had a way with a beautiful sky. July was a beautiful summer month that was for sure. After they passed the state line, Tyra fell in love with Texas all over again. She knew why she left but now, after more than four years went by, she finally regretted doing so. She regretted leaving her mother behind but most of all her biggest regret was not letting Tate know his father. Tyra knew she was going to pay for that someway, somehow.

She stayed on the I-10 until they hit Houston and broke off onto a smaller highway that led straight to Austin. The closer she got to central Texas the more closed in she started feeling. It got to where she needed to pull over and catch her own breath.

"I can't do this... I can't." She told herself out loud, as she came to a stop.

"Tyra..." Mindy paused as Tyra jerked on the breaks. "Jesus. Are you okay?"

Tyra kept herself from crying but still got emotional. "I just... God, Mindy, it's just been so long." She looked in the back and through the darkness, she could see her son sleeping soundly. Trips in the car would always soothe Tate, he could fall asleep before she'd even get to the grocery store from her apartment.

Pain and regret filled her body as she continued to stare at him. It was ridiculous how much he looked like his daddy. Tim didn't deserve what she did to him. He was actually coming around to the idea of being a father to their child towards the end. Their relationship and even hers with Julie finally seemed like they weren't strained for a moment, until that day she went to his apartment. She had nightmares about Jordan and what his face looked like for months afterward. He had that cold, blank stare of a lifeless body that still made her shiver to this day.

Mindy agreed with her younger sister. "It sure has... but now you have to face the decision you made." They sat in silence for a few moments as Tyra gathered herself. "C'mon, let's stop at a motel and let you sleep on it."

"Okay. Yeah, let's stop for the night." She took a deep breath before driving off the shoulder and back onto the road. A motel sign came into view a few more miles down the deserted highway and Tyra pulled in. She got them a room and the first level and drove around to the other side of the building.

"You get him, I'll get the stuff." Mindy said as she opened the passenger side door.

Tyra hopped out and carefully maneuvered Tate out of his car seat. "C'mon, baby." She walked to the door and followed in after Mindy. She laid him down on the bed and he started to whine. "I know, baby, I know. Let me just take of your shoes and you can go right back to sleep."

Mindy watched from afar as her sister handled her nephew with care. Over the last four years she watched Tyra become a different person. She was a good mother. At times, a little selfish but she was young. Normal twenty-one years olds were out partying and drinking. She was glad that wasn't her sister's life because it easily could have been.

Mindy smiled when she looked at Tate. His long blonde hair was curling at the ends. He was seriously the cutest thing she'd ever seen. Tim and Tyra did good. Her smiled turned to a frown as she thought about Tim. As time went by and the sisters were watching the baby boy grow into a toddler, she started realizing all the things Tim wouldn't get to witness. Tate's first words, first steps. So many more small things passed through her mind as she thought. He would never get the last four years back with his child. Hell, he didn't even know that he had a son. They didn't find out the sex until after the big move.

Tyra looked over at her sister after making sure Tate got back to sleep. "Uh, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm gonna crash."

* * *

Tim was up before the sun the next morning tending to some things in the attic before rejoining Becky in their bed. He didn't have a pressing job and neither did she. He made a lot of money these days, enough to have a nice place and then some. What had started off so small and casual soon spun out of control and consumed his life. He wouldn't ever say this lifestyle was something he wanted but he wasn't complaining right now either.

Yes, it got him mixed up in some serious shade that was still involved in his life until recently, but he wasn't messing with the cartel anymore and they weren't messing with him. Neither were Mars and Danni. It was about a year into their dealings that the partners were offered a bigger and better opportunity in a city out west. They took it and the heap of money he made for them. He was thankful that they received whatever promotion they got, because they were off his back. Even after they left, he still worked with Manny until they were both working for someone else.

When did he let his life become so Grand Theft Auto? They robbed people. Plain and simple. They would hold other dealers hostage while robbing them. The cartel was brutal, they didn't care about anything but drugs and money. A few guys got themselves killed because they didn't give Tim and Manny another choice except for dying themselves. Since that wasn't an option, they did what they had to do. It only happened twice over their two year span of continued work when Mars and Danni left the picture. It wasn't like Tim was pure or anything, either. He killed those two guys back in Dillon and got away with it. He got shot and healed, wasn't able to play ball after that but he was alive. The luck he was starting to think he had was going to eventually run out.

Tim cuddled up to Becky's warm body and fell back asleep for another few hours. He was alone when he woke up the second time. "Babe?" He called as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He found himself alone in the house since Landry got up and ready for work while he was in the attic.

He jumped into some basketball shorts then grabbed his iPod before heading for the front where he kept his running shoes. He laced them up and locked up the house then headed out. Austin was a really cool city. Small and spread out but it was still the capital of Texas. It was also the Live Music Capital of the world. Some pretty cool bands and celebs came to Austin all the time.

Down the road a ways, a song came on from this band he knew Julie liked. They were small and based out of LA but were good. It was surprising since most LA based things were shitty.

_We walk, we walk, we just keep walking,_  
_We move, we move, we just keep moving on,_  
_We sing, we sing, we sing at the top of our lungs,_  
_We walk, we walk , we walk like nothing's wrong._

He listened to the words play and felt it resonate somewhere inside. Life goes on. You move on and act like nothing's wrong, even when everything might be.

"_Dammit!_" Tim hissed to himself after changing the song. He needed to get a new iPod or at least delete everything and start again. It took him a long time to get to a point where he didn't think about _her_ every single day. She'd been gone a long time but things, even the smallest of things, would remind him of the Julie he used to know. The music definitely wasn't helping and the next song was even worse.

_I'm nothing more than a bag of bones,_  
_With a pair of shoes and an overcoat._

Those lyrics took things to another level. That level was named Tyra. He felt something worse then heart-break after she left. He felt empty, like a bag of bones. She made him feel like nothing and really damaged his psyche for a while. He flicked over the song quickly but it was too late. Her face burned behind his eyes and the same thing flashed through his mind again. _Why? Why did she fucking leave?_ It was something he wasn't sure he even wanted the answer to.

He slowed himself to a walk and turned to head back to the house. He wanted to clear his head by taking a nice, long jog but it was only clouding it further. Back at home he shed his clothes and got into the shower. With the water so hot it burned, he cringed. His skin got used to it after a few moments. When it started feeling good, everything from his mind dispersed.

Tim listened to the pouring water until he heard the bathroom door open. He turned his head and saw Becky through the blurred glass. He watched as she took off her shirt and shorts before joining him in the mist.

She smiled when her eyes met his. She bit her lip as his eyes then moved over her curves. The way he made her feel, even just by looking at her was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. The act of just looking could be powerful and she learned that after being with Tim.

Tim reached out and pulled her under the water. He watched her tight curls melt around her face as they got drenched. He smiled before kissing her hard. Their lips pressed together with a hungry passion. It was as if they we're starved from each other for days and now finally reconnecting. Her warm hands made trails up and down his slick back as he held her against him.

After a few intense moments, Becky pulled away to catch her breath. She smiled as she rested her head against his chest and let the water pour down her back. She already knew she loved this rugged boy of hers. He was a good, loyal guy underneath it all. What he's shared with her of his past seemed rough as hell. He'd been bending his entire life and something finally broke him, he had yet to share exactly what, though.

She knew he went through a bad break up about a year ago, but there had to be more to it then that. Unless he still loved that girl. Her heart muscles felt like the were aching as she thought of him having feelings for another girl. He was with her for over three solid years. That was a huge relationship for kids of their age. She'd only been with Tim about half a year and she would already go crazy if she lost the long haired boy. Becky ducked her head back under the water and washed away the negativity.

* * *

Tyra woke the next day without knowing exactly where she was at first. It seemed like a normal morning in her apartment until she didn't recognize her surroundings. She took a deep breath of air and realized where she was. She looked over at Mindy who was still asleep in the other bed. Then she turned to Tate who was awake and staring back at her.

"Hey, Tate. You hungry, baby?" She looked at the clock and saw that it was already nine.

"Yeah." He nodded and rolled over onto his belly.

"Okay, go wake up Mindy." She watched him scoot to the edge of the bed and hop down. She laughed at his laugh.

"Come on! Wake up, Aunt Minnie." He jumped onto the other bed and woke Mindy up. He still couldn't properly pronounce all of his words and Mindy's name happened to be one of them.

Mindy rubbed her eyes and sat up. She took Tate into her arms as he climbed on her. "Hey, boy. You're gettin' heavy, you know that?"

"I not heavy." He exclaimed before bursting out into laughter as she tickled his sides.

"Oh, yes you are!" She got up when he twisted out of her grasp. Before7 heading into the tiny bathroom she looked at her sister, who still had the deer caught in headlights look on her face. "Hey... you okay?"

"Yeah." _Lie._ "Yeah, let's, uh... get ready and stuff." Her tone clearly gave her away but Mindy let her be anyway. Tyra stared at nothing for a few moments. She didn't blink until her eyes felt like they were on fire. "Alright, Tate. Get your butt over here." She got him into some fresh undies and clothes before she started getting herself presentable.

Mindy took forever in the shower so she stepped outside and took a breath of Texas air. It wasn't as suffocating as it was last night but it was still weird being back. It was still pretty rural where they were, she could literally see cows from the door step. Rural. They were probably just an hour outside of Austin and it was nearly another hour after that until they were in that little Texas town she ran from.

Had it really already been that long? Of course it had, Tate was nearing four years old already and she, herself, had turned twenty-one a few months back. Her birthday was just a few weeks before Tim's. He was twenty-one now, too. She wondered about him as she stood alone outside. Wondered about what he had been up to for the last few years. _How was he? Was he still with Julie? Was he even in Dillon anymore? _The last time she checked, he was living pretty happily at the Taylor's house. The last question weighed heavily on her mind until Mindy popped her head out of the room.

"Hey, are you showerin' or what?"

Tyra shook her head. "I'll shower at mom's house." After her sister went back inside, she thought about how weird if felt to call her old house just her mom's place now. That was _her_ home. The home she chose to up and leave, though. The home that probably wouldn't feel like home anyway. She went inside after a few more minuets of staring out at the sky and got their things ready to go.

When they were out on the road, she let Mindy drive the rest of the way. Her mind was too full to focus on one thing, such as driving. They stopped at McDonald's for some breakfast since it was still early enough and set out to Dillon. She sat in the back with Tate as they got closer to the city. When Austin came into view, she could see that more skyscrapers had been installed over the years. With more condos and office buildings, the little city was sure growing.

There was a little traffic on I-35 so Tyra pointed out a few important buildings to Tate. The Capital building, the giant Frost Bank, the Frank Erwin Center. Those were just a few places they could see from the highway. Everything about going back home saddened her. Tate was born and raised in Baton Rouge and had never stepped foot in Texas until yesterday afternoon. So, he wasn't raised here like she was. The fact that she'd be facing many old friends after all these years didn't sound as appealing as one might think, either. Her decision would follow her everywhere she went in this state and she needed to get used to that.

In Louisiana, it was like she was a different person. Nobody knew her history or any of the things she'd done. She tried to justify it in telling herself she needed the fresh start. What she really needed Tim by her side helping and watching _their _son grow up.

Mindy was a great helper and aunt to Tate, but it just wasn't the kind of relationship he would have with Tim. Their father, not to mention Tim's parents, cut out when they were young, so she should have stayed and let Tate's life be different. He would have had both parents right by his side, at least she hoped he would have. Sure, Tim _did_ seem alright about having the child but who knows what would have happened when the baby actually came. He could have split just as easily, if not easier, than she did. If Tim would have done what she did, she didn't think she would ever forgive him for abandoning them. But that's not how things played out and now she didn't know if she could ever forgive herself.

After exiting the highway quite a few miles back. The edge of town started coming into view. She felt a little better about going back home. Her mother was there and after so many years of taking care of her baby, she wanted some motherly love of her own. She couldn't hardly wait to see her mother's joy of having her girls back and seeing Tate in person for the first time. She saw him but only in pictures or over video calls that they had on occasion. Tyra knew the waterworks were going to happen for all the grown ups when they got there.

It wasn't until she saw the outline of that familiar Texas shaped sign that she knew they were back. Her life in Louisiana was over and she would be starting over in her hometown where she at least knew some people.

'Welcome To Dillon'

The Collette sisters both watched the sign as they passed it. It was almost a culture shock to be back in a tiny town compared to the city they were just residing in. It was hard to imagine that she still knew almost every detail about this place. She sure knew when she didn't recognize something, too. The population number had increased by a few thousand people so naturally, just like Austin, it was growing. That wasn't the only thing new. They re-opened West Dillon High and now had two different schools representing their town.

She felt like a kid in a candy store with the way she was eyeing her old town. Picking out all the things she could that were different as they drove through town. The familiar things tugged at her heart strings the closer they got to her mother's. She wanted to cry and show her emotions, but at the same time, Tyra felt like she didn't deserve to feel the way she did. She chose to leave it all behind. She caused the pain that she was now feeling, but that others had probably been feeling for years. How was she going to make it up to the people of her past? Mainly, how would she ever make up four long years without Tate to Tim? She couldn't stop the same questions running through her head over and over again. All the realizations had fully hit her by the time they were slowing down to pull into their old driveway.

Mindy stopped the car but neither of the sisters made a move toward getting out. It was strange and they both felt it. It had felt like the right thing to do while back in Louisiana and one the road, but now... now felt like the calm before the storm.

* * *

**thank you for the read. review if you'd like. :)  
i hope this is as interesting a plot as i think it is.  
more to come... lemme know whatcha think!  
heavily Tim/Tyra based with other main characters.  
The Taylor's make their appearance next chapter no worries.**

_**chapter title inspired by:  
**__**Ran Off In The Night - Echosmith**_

_**songs used in chapter:  
**__**On My Own - Catcall  
**__**Nothing's Wrong - Echosmith  
**__**Broken Bones - The Holidays**_


	2. No Stranger

**disclaimer: i own nothing.**

Sequel to Take Care.

* * *

**chapter two**

**no stranger**

"Hey, you got everything?" Tim was standing out in the driveway with Landry as he put his things in the wagon before he left for the weekend.

Landry had what he needed for the trip and placed it next to the bag Tim readied for him with the bud. "Yeah, I should be set. I'll see you later."

"Alright, man." Tim stuck out his arm toward his friend. "You be careful."

He took Tim's arm and gave him a bro hug. A slight smirk cracked his face as he got in his car. If anybody would have told him a few years ago, that Tim Riggins would be an important person in his life, he proabably would have laughed, then gave a rhetorical comment about such a thought. The way things played out, though, they were closer than ever. He remembered how much he used to despise the guy, especially after he found out about Tyra's pregnancy. Landry truly did not care for Tim back in those days.

When Tyra left, she changed everything. Himself included. What really hurt the most was how sudden it was. He didn't have a chance to say goodbye and neither did anybody else. He loved that girl in ways that were even beyond him but after their drama, they were still really good friends. That's part of what confused him about her departure. She would have had a full support system here if she would has stayed. Her family, Tim, himself and the Taylor's would have been there for her with no questions asked.

He backed out the driveway and headed for the familiar highway that led out to Dillon. He watched his rearview mirror until he was out of sight from the house.

Tim watched Landry ride off into the distance. He still hated that Landry rode around with large amounts of weed like he didn't seem to mind doing it. He was a good driver, though. Tim couldn't lie about that. Pretty recently, they actually got pulled over with Tim driving on their way out of Dillon. They somehow managed to get out of it even with some drugs on them, because Landry was the Sherrif's son. He used to think the fact that he was a cops kid, was a negative thing, at least before they started working together. Now it was doing them favors? Times indeed have changed. He headed back inside as he thought about when they decided to work together.

At the beginning of their new found friendship, they bonded over the fact that Tyra was gone. Tim felt like Landry was one of the two people he could really talk to about that. Julie being the other person. They didn't start working together until over two years after Tyra left. When Julie decided to leave him for almost no reason. There hadn't been any major problems in their relationship so it all seemed really sudden. That's probably what made it hurt even more. He never really had clousure with either of the girls he'd fallen for.

After Julie was gone, he finally let himself drink again on the regular. Thoughts of her were too overwhelming at the beginning for even THC to contain. His heart was broken all over again from another important person leaving him. Story of his life, though.

He went back inside the house and tried to leave past thoughts outside. He pulled his one hitter from his pocket and sparked up the green bud that was tucked in the end. Smoking in your own personal home was much better than an apartment. Even at Jason's, he wondered if neighbors could smell it through the walls. Probably. Now that was no longer an issue. He couldn't imagine things any different from having his own place with his girl and one of his closest friends to date. Things seemed just right for the time being and he was finally happy again.

Becky had come into his life not too long after his breakup with Julie. She helped get his heart back to a functioning state even before they got together. He knew he cared deeply for the young girl, but wasn't sure he couldn't honestly tell himself that he was in love with her. It was still too soon. After loving Julie as much as he did, it would be a minuet before his heart could wrap itself around another person. If it was going to be anybody he'd want it to be Becky. She was good for him.

Though, that's exactly what he thought about Julie and it was true. She _was_ good for him. She completely changed his perspective on his actions and taught him how to be an actual person. His loyalty grew and so did he during their timely relationship. Before Julie, he hardly gave two shits about anything or anybody. He had a girlfriend and would cheat on her like he didn't. Any feelings any of the girls showed to him were never returned, until she came along.

He took another hit and squeezed his eyes together as the smoke made his chest hurt. He blew the smoke toward the light that was above him and watched it dance around. Sometimes he felt like he was running his life into the ground by continuing to sell drugs. Then sometimes he felt like he was building something from the ground up. Something that was _his_ and wouldn't ever leave him unless he made it go away.

* * *

Landry made it to town after the sun went down. He went a day earlier since one of the guy's he knew said there would be a party tonight. He knew he could turn a lot of profit at any kind of large gathering so he left after work instead of the following morning. He didn't get to indulge or sell at parties too much lately, at least since he became a cop. That was a complete one-eighty from his other life as a dealer. He'd be the second to last person to think he would live a double life, his father being the last.

For the most part, the guilt was set aside mostly because he was too busy with one job or the other to really have time to care. It was quiet moments like these was when 'guilt' like to pop its head up and make itself known again. He'd been doing this thing with Tim for well over a year and still something about it didn't feel right. Of course the way he was raised probably had everything to do with it but there was something else. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He was nearing the heart of the town and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed the guy's number who he was supposed to meet.

"Hey, Kev. So, what's up... where's the party?"

"Same neighborhood as my house. It's one of my buddies." He said. "I'll text the address."

Kevin Slater was a rich high school senior from two parents that both worked in the medical field. His mother was a head honcho at the same hospital his father worked at, who just so happened to be a big time surgeon. He didn't need to sell weed, he just did.

"Alright, cool." Landry hung up and sat at the red light. When it turned green he kept going, heading toward the richer side of town. When he got there he drove by massive house after massive house. After Kevin's house came into view, he could tell he was getting close because of all the cars that lined the road.

As he neared the house that seemed to be hosting the party, he checked the address with the message Kevin sent. Sure enough, he found the place. He pulled into an open slot along the curb and got the bag Tim packed. He dialed Kevin again to see exactly where he needed to go to meet up with him. After getting the directions he needed to out back and meet up by the pool, Landry headed for the house. It seemed to get bigger and more extravagant the closer he got to it.

The door was standing open with people going in and out of it. So, Landry slipped in and made his way toward the back of the house. It was almost disgusting at how rich these people were. The tiny house with his two parents would have just nearly fit in the atrium of this place. It was a little ridiculous. For a moment, when he reached the ultra modern kitchen, he had to appreciate such creative beauty. It was sharp and outlandish, but immaculate at the same time. He carried on and made his way out back.

"Hey, Kev. What's up, man?" He said, after meeting up with his regular. He was with a few other friends of his who he nodded greetings to as well.

"Hey, Land. Was just telling the boys here how _dank_ the bud you get is. It's _fucking_ dank."

Landry chuckled at him. "It is good, I'll give you that." Even though it was so unlike him, Landry gave pot a try. The first time he tried it was with Kurt and his fellow band mates. Since he was on the force, though, he put Mary Jane in the backseat.

"Yeah, give me that. I need at least a half, man. Then... maybe you can set some of these guys up, too."

"Can do. Why don't we go inside and handle this privately?" Poolside wasn't really ideal for his dealing operation. He needed to weight the stuff out in front of them and that required a flat, stationary area. Preferably not around drunk, lunatic high school kids.

After dealing with the guys Landry went and walked around downstairs. He grabbed a empty red cup and found the nearest tapped keg. A thought about who exactly purchased said keg ran through his mind. He brushed it off and resumed thoughts about the money burning in his pocket. Just by dealing with those four guys, nearly half his stash for the weekend was gone. Kevin bought eight ounces while the other guys bought little individual ounces for themselves. Money was money, though. Another day, another dollar and the day wasn't even over yet.

He walked around and watched the kids interact with each other. This sure as hell wasn't his high school experience. He had a small, tight group of friends for most of his life and he never went to any parties of this caliber. A few gatherings at Tyra's was his extent of partying during high school. He'd be the last to think that at twenty years of age that he'd be skulking around one of these things, slinging drugs.

Everything became suddenly surreal. His life was so different from how it was in high school but that _was_ life. He wondered if it would have been so different if Tyra hadn't left. Of course it would have. Had she stayed, he probably would have eventually got on good terms with Tim anyway. The kid he was going to help her out with _was_ his after all. Had she also stayed, the probability of him getting involved in Tim's drug scene were slim to none.

**_the next morning..._**

The bright sunlight bounced off every white wall and made it even brighter. Landry rubbed his eyes and blinked them until they could focus. He found himself on an unfamiliar couch in an unfamiliar house. He had somehow made his was to Kevin's place.

"The hell?" He rubbed his eyes and sat up. It was sure a nice ass couch he passed out on last night.

The last thing he remembered was having a few beers and meeting a few random people along the way. He reached straight for his pockets out of habit to check for his phone and wallet. Both had been secure all night. Then he looked for his bag and it was on the floor next to him. He checked for his bud and found it. Luckily no one gave him the slip, if he _had_ passed out with people around. It was probably beyond lucky and he should definitely be more careful next time. Not everybody was that cool.

He gathered his things before he looked up to see if anyone else was around. When he saw that no one was, he made his way out the front door. Once back in his car, he decided to grab some food for himself and parents for when he arrived. He hadn't seen them in a couple of weeks and was ready for some family time.

He'd still go to Dillon without stopping by to see his parents or even stay the night there. Sometimes, if he was only down there to sell, he'd set himself up with a small motel room to do business in. It was better then bringing the stuff to his parents house. He hated doing that. His father was a cop his entire life, he knew what pot smelled like. If he had any left it usually stayed locked up in the car.

Landry pulled out of the large half crescent driveway and pulled onto the road. His shabby station wagon was now more out of place then ever. Each and every house seemed to get bigger and more lavish then the next. He'd never really been to this side of town except within the last year. Once he started selling for Tim full time, he started expanding his customer base in Dillon. He got his name out there and now had quite a few regulars and a bunch of frequenters.

His mind trailed back to the same old car bed been driving since his father passed it down to him. It was seriously time to start looking into something that might not blow up if hit by another vehicle.

* * *

"Julie, come on!"

Eric heard Tami call from the living room. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, completely still. He listened to his wife getting their younger daughter ready while she waited on the elder one.

They were all going to a nice Saturday lunch at Applebee's with Julie. She only had a few more weeks left with them until she went back to Corpus for the school year. He still couldn't believe that his daughter was now a sophomore in college. She was a sophomore in high school back before his prison stint. His breath caught in his chest as he remembered missing Julie's graduation. That was an even harder thing for him to deal with while behind bars.

Well, everything was hard while being locked up. Prison was no joke and he learned that the hard way. He thought about his two year sentence that got stretched into three after an incident. There were a couple things that happened but the last one, that changed it all. He rubbed a particular spot on his abdomen where a small scar lay.

He caught the other twelve months after defending himself in an altercation. That's exactly what it was, self-defense. This _was_ Texas after all and they supported the hell out of 'self-defense'. Prison was another world, though. The same rules didn't apply inside those walls. There were so many things and people Eric came across while doing his time. Gang members, corrupt correctional officers, violence and sexual assault were just a few of the main issues.

"Eric?" Tami asked. She saw him staring off at nothing and got worried. "You alright?"

He sat there in his pants and undershirt without making a move after putting them on. "Huh? Uh, yeah." He stood and straightened himself out. "I'm fine. Y'all almost ready?"

"Julie's finally out of the bathroom so... yeah." She stood there still eyeing him, suspiciously.

When they got to the restaurant Eric found himself in the booth next to Gracie. Julie was directly across from him while Tami was on her side. He gave all of his girls a small smile before he zoned out again. That's what seemed to be happening a lot more than usual lately.

At first, when he got released, everything felt pretty normal. But now he couldn't even see a brink of normalcy within himself. He felt like a shell of the man he used to be, to say the least. He lost his career. Football was a huge part of his life and it was stripped from him completely. His family, which was everything else in his life, was even taken from him for a period of time. Those three years ruined him. He would never get that time with them back. Ever.

Julie stared across the table at her father who looked like he wasn't really there. He had a glazed over, auto-pilot look in his eyes. "You okay, dad?" The twenty year old asked him.

Eric snapped out of his daze and looked into the hazel eyes of his oldest daughter. "Yeah... yeah." He picked up his menu and started looking over entrees like the rest of his family was doing. "So, what do y'all feel like today?" He looked down at Gracie who was coloring away on her kid's menu. She didn't really ever look at those menus since the grown ups would order for her anyway. "What do you want Gracie Belle?"

"Chicken." She said, cheerily.

He smiled sweetly at her and continued looking over his choices. After deciding on what he wanted he set down his menu and glanced toward the front door. His eyes fixated on the people who had just walked in. He let his gaze hold a moment too long because shortly after he noticed them, so did Julie and Tami.

Eric looked at Julie and watched her quickly turn her head back around and frown. It started to look more like she was thinking hard about something instead of frowning.

"Oh my God." Tami whispered only loud enough for their table to hear.

Even though he was locked up, he lived vicariously through his family during their visits. He heard about Julie's breakup with Tim, he heard about little Gracie starting school and he definitely heard about a pregnant Tyra Collette ditching town. Now, apparently, she was back.

His eyes shot back to the two Collette women but what caught his eye, was the little blonde boy her mother was holding. "That's..." He started but Julie finished for him instead.

"Her _son._"

Eric's eyes now flicked toward her. He had no idea what she was feeling as she stared at the tall blonde from afar. That _was_ her best friend. Her _best friend_ left her behind without even saying goodbye. He didn't have to many people he could really call friends, but he knew that a _friend_ didn't do that. Then he turned to look at the little boy again, but before too long his constant thoughts were interrupted again by Tami.

"I can't believe this. What's she doing back?" She was still gawking with her rubber neck twisted around.

They all watched her talk to what looked like a manager until their waitress came back around. After all their orders were taken they continued to wonder about what the young Collette woman was doing back in Dillon.

Julie was struggling with something internally and turned to her mother. "Hey, get up. I-I can't just sit here."

"Honey, where are you going?" Tami asked as she moved out of Julie's way.

"I have to go say something." She scooted out of the seat and stood up. She made her way toward Tyra and the whole time she was unsure of what her old friends reaction would be. At first, Julie was upset when Tyra left, but then she felt out of place with those feelings. She still loved her as a person. It happened so long ago that it had been water under the bridge for the longest time now.

With her move down south and the whole college thing, she'd been pretty wrapped up in herself anyway. After letting Tim go, she did something for herself and got out. Her mother had pretty much convinced her to leave. Not him, per say, but the future Tami saw her heading toward with him. She eventually found out everything about the buying and selling of drugs and she got upset. That was _not_ what her daughter was supposed to be doing with her life and she made it clear. So much so that Tim moved out and went to live with Jason in Austin. They still made their relationship work from the short distance until Julie's senior year was coming to a close. She got accepted to the University of Texas at Corpus Christi and left right after graduating.

As she neared the girl she used to know, she caught the attention of Angela. She did a double take like she didn't recognize her at first then she got her daughters attention. When Tyra's eyes met her's, Julie felt something. The energy of their past friendship was making her heart beat faster.

"Julie..." Tyra whispered.

"Hello, Tyra." She could tell her old friend wasn't prepared to see her or anybody else from the past for that matter.

"Hi, uh, hey." She muttered. "Wow. How are you?" Tyra reached out for a friendly hug and was surprised when Julie leaned in, too. She looked so different from how she remembered four years ago. Her hair was more of a sandy brown then blonde and she seemed to have fully bloomed into a woman. She was beautiful.

"I've been good. What about you?" She led Tyra's eyes over to the boy Mrs. Collette was still holding.

Tyra looked at her son with her old friend. "Good. We've been... good." She took him from her mother's arms and watched as Julie's eyes followed. "This is Tate. My son."

Julie was taken back for a moment. The kid was seriously gorgeous. Smooth, creamy skin, long blond hair and deep blue eyes. He looked a lot like Tyra. His face, though, resembled Tim so much she couldn't help but think about him. She couldn't remember the last time she actually thought about him besides today. Here and there, things would remind her of him but she never paid it much mind. She'd been too busy. College was in a league of its own and was the furthest thing from high school.

"Wow... he's... beautiful, Tyra. Really." They exchanged smiles before Tyra asked her what she was doing here. "Oh, I'm in town for the summer and I'm with my parents." She turned and pointed to her table. Her mother was looking and her dad was staring off at nothing as usual.

"Oh my God." With her free hand, Tyra took Julie's arm and led her toward her own table. She didn't want to just walk away from her but she also wanted to see Tami. Her other mother for all intensive purposes.

Eric focused on his drink to play off another trip down memory lane. It was consuming him slowly and even he couldn't stop the silent screaming. He looked up at the girls who had come over and smiled.

"Hey, girl." Tami stood and hugged her long time friend. Her eyes widened at the precious child in her grasp. "My Lord, Tyra. This is your little one?"

"Yeah, this is Tate."

"Aw. Hi, Tate." She waved.

"Hi." He smiled back.

"Aren't you just the cutest thing ever?" She couldn't believe she was now staring at the fetus that changed Tyra's life five years ago. She could still remember their conversation when she came to the house late one night like it was yesterday. Tyra had told her about the situation before she told her own mother. Tami cared for Tyra, but didn't realize how much until she was gone. It was sad how that's the way it worked sometimes. "So, what's going on? You're back?"

Tyra nodded. "Yeah, we are. Just got back this past week and it's been, uh... weird, I guess." She chuckled at the end.

"Where were you... if you don't mind my asking?"

She looked at the watchful eyes of Julie and Tami stare at her with a wanting curiosity. Like they _needed_ to know where she'd been all these years. "I, uh... we've been over in Louisiana. Baton Rouge to be exact. Now we're back... to where we should have been all along."

Tami looked at Tyra's sad eyes. She knew the young girl had recently come to regret her decision to move away. She touched her arm and gave it a sympathetic squeeze. "I know, honey. It looks like you managed, though. You look great, he looks great." She smiled. Tyra looked like a real mother. Still a little unsure but she was so young, it was to be expected. When she and Eric had Julie in college, it was very difficult for years. She couldn't imagine what Tyra dealt with by willingly choosing to do it by herself.

"Thanks." She looked over at her mom, who was still at the bar. "I should probably get back. I was just about to try and get my job back here so..."

"Yeah, sure. You stop by anytime, okay?" She reached out for Tyra again and gave her a hug, then she looked at Tate. "If you need anybody to watch him when nobody else can... let me know, sweetie."

"Thanks, Tami... I appreciate that." She turned to Julie who was still fixated on the boy. "And Julie, it was good to see you." She leaned in for another hug from her former bestie. "So, will I be seeing you later, too?"

"Duh." Julie smiled. "I'm not leaving 'til the the fifteenth."

"Alrighty, then let's plan on it." Tyra gave them all a smile before leaving just as quickly as she'd come.

* * *

The weekend was coming and going pretty fast. Saturday was already almost over and things would be back to normal when Landry got back tomorrow. Tim enjoyed his alone with Becky that was for sure. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at her. She lay naked under the white sheet like she'd been all day. He smirked a little. She was never as sexual as she was when they had the house to themselves. The last twenty-four hours had been spent in bed. They only got up to pee or eat something.

_Let me see you dance,_  
_I love to watch you dance,_  
_Take you down another level,_  
_Get you dancin' with the devil._

He recalled one of the songs that played while they were together earlier. It brought another smile to his face. She got pretty naughty with him, at least more than usual.

Neither of them were virgins when they met. She dated some guy named Luke from back home and well, he was Tim Riggins. Of course he wasn't a virgin. Their chemistry was something he hadn't really experienced before. It was different. With Julie it was intimate and personal. They made love. Sex with Tyra, on the other hand, was almost animal. They fucked and weren't afraid to tell each other exactly what they wanted. Any of those other girls from back in high school, he was just using to get off. They meant nothing. But what he was sharing with Becky for the last few months was almost a mix of what he shared with his exes. It was sensual. Passionate. Hot.

A chilly breeze washed over him and reminded him that he, too, was clad in his own skin. He threw on some clothes and gave Becky another glance before heading for the door.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Tim turned around to see Becky sitting up. "I thought you were sleeping. I was gonna just head upstairs for a little toke out. Interested?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

She laid back down and stretched out her body causing the sheet to come off of her. "I'm just so tired still." She said, sarcastically.

"Oh really?" He took his shirt back off and climbed on top of her. "Want me to show you what tired looks like?" He held her arms down with his hands as he was crouched over her.

Becky bit her lip in arousal. He could get her going in seconds and he sure did. "Like earlier?"

He shook his head. "Better." He leaned down and kissed her hard. He moaned as he got immediately aroused, too. Just as he was reaching for his pants, his shrill ringtone went off. "God dammit!" Tim sighed before dragging himself off of Becky's warm body.

"Come on, babe." Becky whined. She pulled the sheet back onto the bed and covered her lower half.

"Hey, what's up?" Tim answered, hurriedly. He was so in the mood that it wasn't even funny. If he didn't know it was Landry who was calling, he probably would have left it. When his friend didn't respond at first his tone got more annoyed. "C'mon, man. I just about to get some. What's going on?"

Landry sniffled. "I... I, uh..." He paused again. He was still on the verge of tears, sitting in the driveway of his parents place. He couldn't even remember getting there, he just remembered seeing that familiar long, blond hair floating in the wind. "Sh-she's back. She's back." He repeated.

Tim crinkled his forehead. He was confused and concerned. "Huh? What are you talking about, Landry?"

He hadn't brought himself to say the name of who was upsetting him. It had been so long since he could even remember the last time hearing it himself. It was going to feel just as weird rolling off his tongue as it was when it hit Tim's ears but he braced himself anyway. Another sniffle and a deep breath helped. "Tyra..." It took a lot to say those for letters together. He was almost surprised as much. "Tyra's back."

Tim snapped himself around from the wall he was facing and looked straight at Becky. He never told her about his past with Tyra, just Julie. Landry carried on but he couldn't listen to anything else he was trying to say. His fingers loosened on the phone and it fell to the ground. "Oh, shit." He whispered to himself.

Becky sat up immediately concerned. "What is it, baby?"

That name. That _fucking_ name. It was a powerful name and not in a good way. His next set of thoughts brought tears to his eyes. He felt them threatening to spill down his face. He quickly reached down and grabbed the phone he dropped. "Landry? You there?"

"Yeah." He replied slowly.

"So... you _saw_ her?"

"Yeah. I was picking up a few things at the store, man... and there she was... loading up some groceries with a kid."

"Wha-? A kid?" He trailed off into disbelief before he continued. That's exactly what he'd been thinking about. If she was alone or had a little kid with her. He thought back on a timeline that would reveal the kid's age. It'd be three years old at least. He was sick to his stomach in agony but there was still something on his mind. Something that might make him hurt even more but he had to know. "Is it a girl or..."

"Boy. She has a little boy." Landry helped his friend finish. He wished Tim could have been there to see them together. It was beyond weird seeing her interact with a child. Had she never left in the first place, it would have been natural for him to see something like that. Landry honestly had no idea what she was doing back or what was going to happen now that Tim knew, but it was sure to be interesting. He gathered himself and asked how is friend was doing.

Tim let himself shed a few tears before talking with Landry again. Tyra had a son. _He_ had a son. "Yeah, I'm okay." He looked over to a still confused Becky. He wanted to talk her through what was going on but he also wanted to get to Dillon and confront Tyra. "You're at your parents, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well... I'm coming. Tonight." He knew Angela had still been living at the Collette house all these years, so that's the first place he'd go looking for Tyra. His eyes caught Becky's again. "Alright, later." He hung up with Landry and moved to where his girlfriend was. It was clear the heat of their moment was over. "Becky, I... um, I promise we'll talk when I get back."

"You're just gonna leave me here? Tim, what the hell is going on?" She was a little freaked, having never seen Tim cry before. Now he was just leaving?

"I can't... Beck. I just can't." He put his shirt back on and threw some things into the duffel.

"Can you at least tell me how long you're gonna be gone?" She asked as she watched him pack clothes.

He didn't answer her until he was zipping up the bag. "Not long. I promise." Without any other words, he was gone. He had questions that only the past could answer and he had to go back to where it all started. Dillon.

* * *

**thanks for reading.  
more to come.  
feel free to drop a review. :)**

**title inspired by:  
****No Stranger - Small Black**

**song used in chapter:  
Wicked Games - The Weekend**


	3. Trouble

**disclaimer: i own nothing**

_**Sequel to Take Care.**_

* * *

**chapter three**

**trouble**

It was bright and early the next morning when Tim found himself on Landry's parents couch. It was just a little awkward moment when you get up before your friend. Landry was nowhere to be seen. Hell, he didn't even know what time it was, but he could hear his parents talking quietly to each other in another room. They had to have noticed his presence because somebody had given him a blanket in the middle of the night and it probably wasn't Landry. Mrs. Clarke was a more likely option. He sat up and ran his fingers through his long hair. It was getting to be about at his shoulders, probably time for a cut. He cleared the sleep from the corners of his eyes and stretched out a little.

"Well, good morning, son." Mr. Clarke walked into the living room after hearing Tim stir around. "How'd you sleep on that old thing?"

He gave a small, nervous smile. "Not bad. How you doin', sir?"

He sat down in his chair that was next to the couch. "Oh, I'm alright and yourself?"

"Gettin' by, you know." He'd just nearly forgot why exactly he was in their house, but then remembered. "Did I disturb you by getting in late last night?"

"No, I was a little startled when I noticed you sleeping on the couch this morning. I just wasn't expecting it. Well, since you're here, maybe you could go wake up Landry's tired behind and get him in here."

"Yes, sir." He stood and walked down the tight hallway and into Landry's room. "Hey. Dude, wake up."

"Hey." They talked a little last night about what he had seen. Tim got emotional when he brought up the part about the kid again. He couldn't imagine the feelings he must have toward Tyra for taking his child away but it was bad. He'd never seen Tim open up and break down like he did last night.

"Your dad wants to talk to you, I guess. He sent me to come get you."

"Yeah, yeah. I bet he does." He wasn't in the mood for playing twenty-one questions and he knew that's exactly what his father was going to do. He could hear them now. _Why'd you get in so late? Why'd you come a day early? Why is Tim here? _Blah, blah, blah.

His dad had definitely caught wind of the shootings that took place in Dillon the night Jordan died. He even knew that Tim had been questioned about it. From then on, he never really had anything positive to say about Tim or the fact that he was living with Tim now. With that, Landry figured his father must have thought he was at least involved, if not responsible for what happened almost five years ago.

"You alright, man?" Tim asked, since Landry was so clearly agitated.

He rolled out of bed and tossed on his shirt from last night. "Yeah. It's just... Ugh, like what the fuck is she doing back, man? Why now? After all this time?" He was surprised at the amount of questions he, too, had.

"Preach, brother. I have the same exact questions." Tim gave him a pitiful puppy dog stare before Landry headed out of the room. He decided against being present for their chat. He'd rather stay out of drama he didn't have to deal with. He had enough of his own and then some when he grew the courage to go out to the Collette house. Maybe now was a good time.

He didn't know why he left so abruptly last night when he could have avoided this whole thing and came this morning. He felt bad now after looking back on how strange his behavior probably was to Becky. He needed to talk to her and assure her everything was fine even though it was the furthest thing from the truth. He was still in complete shock that _she_ was back in Dillon. Most of his thoughts, however, lingered on her kid. _His_ kid. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he had a child. He wasn't able to experience fatherhood thanks to Tyra. She left him worried and confused. For all he knew, she could have had an abortion or gave it up. That fact of the matter was _that_ he didn't know. Tim then wondered if he'd ever be able to forgive her for that. He couldn't even imagine laying eyes on her again, much less being forgiving when he did.

His stomach rolled over itself. The thought of seeing her made it hurt. He kept on living his life as an irresponsible man-child instead of having the chance to change his life. True, without having a kid, he had many opportunities to change his life but neglected to do so. By the time things settled down with Manny and the cartel, he'd grown comfortable making his money the way he did. So, why mess up a good thing? That was his own self-justifying question.

Tim sat down on the edge of Landry's bed and tugged hard on his brown strands of hair. He was stressing hard and that was probably what was really making his stomach hurt. The last time he felt as knotted up as he did now, he was still running around with Manny by his side. The last time they were involved in a shooting, Manny took total control. Guns were about the easiest way to kill someone, but Manny didn't kill them with guns. That's what made Tim start to actually fear him. The guys they were jacking didn't have guns, just bats and knives. After Manny shot them both in the leg he handled things very differently. It was sick the way he slit their throats and let them bleed out on the floor. Gruesome and way overboard was probably still putting it lightly. Tim knew he had to part ways with him. They made good shortly after and Tim paid him off for all the shit they got involved in with the undercovers. Manny accepted and let him be.

Since then, his life was way quiter. He had a good thing going with Becky and things finally seemed at peace. Now this. Tyra waltzes back into town, who knows how long ago, and his entire world was upside down.

"Hey. Oh..." Landry paused in the doorway and looked at Tim's hunched over body. "You alright?"

Tim snapped up at his deep voice. "Uh, yeah." He sucked up any emotion he was feeling and stood back up. "I think I'm gonna go... yeah."

"Well, hey, come back later. I got something to take care of with my pops but, uh... yeah. This thing with Tyra..." He gave his friend a puzzled look. "What are you gonna do?"

"I guess I'm gonna go out to her mom's. See if she's there or..." He shrugged without finishing his sentence.

Landry didn't know what was going through Tim's mind about Tyra or the kid. What he expressed was probably nothing compared to what was going on inside of him. He, too, was shocked out of his mind that she'd come back with a kid. It was still hard to picture her as a caring, nurturing mother after what she did. "Alright... but like I said, come back tonight. We gotta talk a little business then head back... well, at least I got to get back tonight."

Tim looked down. He didn't know if he was going back tonight. Probably not, but then he wondered about where he'd stay if Landry wasn't in town. That was an issue indeed. "I'll be back tonight before you leave. Call me, though."

He left his friends house after calling out a goodbye to Landry's parents. Mr. Clarke was giving him the creeps anyway. Just by being in his presence, Tim felt like he could see right through him. Probably could. He backed out of the gravel driveway and drove through town. He knew where he was heading but sub-consciously, he was taking the long way.

* * *

Angela was busy in her kitchen, cleaning up after last night's dinner. She was also watching Tate play while Tyra got herself ready in the bathroom. Her friend was a manager at Applebee's and helped get Tyra another shot at working there. She had an interview with the general manager today at eleven. Her eyes looked over to the clock in the living room and saw that her daughter only had half an hour to be ready and get there.

"Tyra! You 'bout done? It's already ten-thirty!"

The bathroom door swung open and Tyra darted to her room in just her towel. "Dammit, mom. Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"Girl, I'm in here cleanin' and watchin' your boy. You're twenty-one... get your shit together." She laughed at the end of her high pitched sentence. It was always fun to tease Tyra. "Just hurry up. I wouldn't keep them waiting."

Tyra scrambled to clothe herself and put her face on but manged to do it in under ten minuets. On her way out she hugged her mom and kissed Tate goodbye.

Angela watched as she backed out of the driveway and drove on down the road before returning her attention to her grandson. "So, Tate. What do you wanna do? Wanna watch another movie?"

"I wanna play the iPad. iPad!" He got up and went back toward Tyra's room.

"Okay, okay. Let's get you the iPad." She rolled her eyes and followed after him. Kids these days needed their faces shoved into something electronic. When she was a kid, they just went outside and had adventures. She did live on a farm when she was younger, though. Once she was in the bedroom, she watched Tate open the closet door and tug on a suitcase. It looked heavy since it wouldn't barge for Tate at all. When she tried, though, it came right out. "Is it in here?"

"Yes!" He said, a little too excitedly.

She unzipped the luggage bag and nearly gasped at what she saw. Money. Lots of it, too. There had to be thousands of dollars all together in the bag she was staring into. _What the hell was Tyra doing with all of it? And if she had all this, why would she need her old job back? What the hell was going on?!_

Tate moved around her and reached out for the iPad, which was one of the few other things still in the bag. "Okay. Yay!" He said, before darting off with it back into the living room.

Angela stood in her place, still confused as hell. She zipped the bag back up and told herself that Tyra had some serious explaining to do. She put the suitcase right where she found it and left the room. She went back out to see Tate laying on the floor in front of the little tablet. He managed to turn it on and find whatever application he was looking for already.

She walked to the couch and sat down. The money was starting to make a little sense. Tyra had come back with some pretty nice things, as did Tate and Mindy. _But where did she get it?_ That question kept making its way through her head and it wouldn't be answered until her daughter got back. A few minuets went by when she heard a vehicle pulling up to their house. It wasn't one of theirs, but she did recognize it. After putting the pieces together as quickly as she did, her focus went to Tate.

"Oh, God." She got up quickly when she heard the driver get out and shut the car door. She slowly moved to the door and could see him walking up to the house. It had been almost three years since the last time she'd seen Tim Riggins. She pushed it open when he noticed her. "Tim?"

"Mrs. Collette. Hey." He stopped walking when she stepped out and closed the door behind her. That definitely wasn't what he was hoping would happen. _What did he expect, though? Did he expect for her to hold the door open and let him right in?_ No. Especially if Tyra was back after so many years.

"How ya doin', baby?" She reached out and they hugged. She'd known Tim just about his entire life. She watched him a lot of days when his parents were actually around. They were around but they weren't _around._ Passed out drunk or out back chain smoking wasn't the way to raise a child. Children, for that matter.

"I'm fine." He shifted his weight after letting go of her and got right to the point. "Look, I... I heard she was back."

She took a step closer to him when she saw how unsettled he was getting. "Who... who'd you hear it from?"

"Landry..." He paused, not knowing if he should have dropped his friends name because it was going to get back to Tyra. "He saw her at the store... with a kid."

He inched toward her and the house. It wasn't her place to not let him see his child. "She's not here but... _he_ is."

"He." Tim repeated. Hearing Angela Collette confirm that Tyra had given birth to a boy nearly brought him to tears again. It was true, he had a son. "Can I?" He motioned to the front door.

She nodded, again not feeling like it was her place to deny him anything. That had been Tyra's decision definitely not her's. She watched as he walked around her and reached out to open the door. "Tim..." She carried on when he turned his attention back to her. "I'm sorry."

He nodded. "Me, too." _Me, too._ Tim repeated in his head.

He felt like everything was spinning as he pulled open the familiar door. He'd probably been through that exact door a million times before, but none of those were as intense as this one. Even before entering the open door frame, he could hear some sort of children music coming from inside. He took a breath and let it out hard before walking in.

Angela stood outside nearly in tears as Tim was looking at his child for the first time. She couldn't imagine what he was feeling but she didn't even dare look and see. The sight might just break her down completely.

Tim stood in the doorway and stared at the little boy on the floor. He watched him play with a tablet. "Hey, there." Tim watched the boy look up at him. Those big blue eyes hit him like a ton of bricks. "Hey... buddy."

"Hi." Tate sat up and looked at Tim.

He crouched down in front of the small boy and really looked at him. There was quite a resemblance. "What's your name?"

"Tate. What's yours?" He asked back.

"Tim... Riggins."

"Riggins? I'm Riggins. Tate Riggins."

Tim stood up from his awkward position. He felt like he was going to black out. He heard the front door close from behind him and turned to see Angela. "She named him... he's a Riggins?"

Her eyes looked just like his, full of heavy tears. "Yes... she did." She moved over to the little boy who was still looking up at Tim. She picked up Tate and perched him on her hip. "Tate..." She paused and wiped away a tear that snuck onto her face. Tyra should be the one introducing Tate to his father, but she wasn't here. "This... is your daddy."

Tim let himself go when those words came from her mouth. Warm tears fell down from his eyes and made their way to the corners of his mouth. The salty water tingled his tongue as he stood there, weak.

Tate wiggled down to the ground the walked up to Tim. "Daddy?"

Tim nodded. He let out a breath and reached out for him. His big arms swooped Tate up and pulled him into his chest. He let him out a little and stared down at his face. "Yeah, I'm your daddy." He smiled as Tate used his tiny hand to wipe a tear from his face.

Later on, Angela had cooked them a little lunch and after they all hung out in the living room for a while. Tim and Angela caught up while they watched over Tate. He played, watched TV and climbed in and out of the adults laps. He was definitely an active one. Tim was in awe of little Tate. He was perfect in more ways than one in his bias eyes. Not too much later, they both heard a car pulling up. It distracted them.

Tim shot up from his seat. "Is that her?" He looked out the window at a nice black car pulling up next to his truck.

"Uh, no." The way she answered was almost question-like. "That's not one of ours." They shared a confused look before she turned back toward the front door. She watched three guys get out of the car. Two of them stayed by it as the other walked toward the front door.

Right off the bat, Tim did not like the look of any of the guys that had pulled up. Especially, the way two of them hung back. _What the hell did they want?_ "You don't know who they are?" Once Angela shook her head negatively, Tim walked out of the door and greeted the one walking up. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. Yes you can. I'm looking for Tyra. She has something of mine... and I'd like it back."

Tim looked the guy up and down before smirking. He looked sort of ridiculous. "Oh, really? Well she's not here so you should head back to Jersey, bro."

"You better watch it. Well, you can tell her that Brandon is looking for her and her kid."

He tensed right away. "Why the hell are you looking for the kid?"

"Ahh, let me guess." Brandon rubbed his hands together in front of him. "You must be the guy she ran off from in the first place." He laughed. "I knew I wasn't the first, I mean clearly... the slut had a kid."

Tim's judgement failed him as he felt his hand raise from his side. It was like something was controlling him. He couldn't feel himself swing his fist into Brandon's face but when he swung back, Tim definitely felt the blow. Before he knew it, the two other guys were there to defend Brandon but he backed off.

"Nah, it's cool. Alex, Cameron... don't." Brandon gathered himself and let his brothers head back to the car before him. "I'll definitely be seeing you later... faggot."

Tim stared at the end of Brandon's finger as it pointed at him. He finally turned around and headed back to the nice car. "Yeah... you will." He said to himself. _What the hell did he have to do with Tyra? Or Tate, for that matter?_ He watched them back out of the driveway and take off a little too fast.

* * *

Another Monday morning had perked its head up after another weekend went by. That meant it was back to the five day routine Eric had working at Buddy's Bar and Grill. He was a manager now. After struggling for awhile, Buddy Garrity got his act back together and was in the money again. He owned a few restaurants and was ever expanding the Garrity name across central and west Texas. He couldn't thank him enough for giving him the job over a year ago, when he first got out. That was before he had any other restaurants and Eric started off as a cook in the kitchen.

Eric rolled over. He felt Tami get up a few hours before him and got herself ready for work. School was starting up in a month and she had a lot on her agenda already. This would be her second year as the principal of East Dillon High. In a normal world, he would have been up at the same time, if not earlier then she was. Football was a round the clock job that was for sure. He sat up and smelled a familiar smell lingering through the house. He hadn't had a normal family breakfast during the week since he could remember. Weekends were different stories. That time was designated for family, especially since Julie was in for the summer.

He drug himself out of bed and went to see where the root of the smell was coming from. The kitchen was a good start. There he found Julie sitting at the bar alone, eating some classic eggs and bacon.

"Hey, dad. I thought I'd get you up by cooking." She chuckled at him as he grabbed a plate.

"Oh, baby. You didn't have to do all this... but it looks so good." He looked over at her and gave her an appreciative smile. "Thanks." He chowed down from his spot in front of the sink as she sat across from him.

They ate in a comfortable silence until Julie got up to put her dishes away. She took a breath before turning toward him. "Listen... there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about. I-It's about mom... but you've looked so out of it lately that I've been keeping it to myself."

Eric set his plate down and gave Julie his full attention. "What is it?" He knew she was dead serious because of the way she called him out and the look on her face.

"I found a bag... of pills. Not in a prescribed bottle or anything, just a bag. I saw her take some and hide the rest back where I found them... in the back of her nightstand."

Eric stared at Julie and realized what she was trying to say. _Drugs? Again?_ _Now with his wife instead of his daughter?_ He walked out of the kitchen and back to their bedroom. He sat down on her side of the bed and pulled open the small drawer Julie was talking about. Sure enough, a tiny bag with a skinny red stripe at the seal was lying there. It wasn't covered up or hidden, she just must have known that he wouldn't look in there at all. He pulled the bag from its spot.

His chuckle startled him. _Why was he laughing?_ His own disbelief must have been the root. He just could not believe that drugs were still pertinent within his family. They all knew Julie smoked pot and that she did so for awhile. However, when college came around, she finally decided against it according to Tami.

Julie pushed open the ajar door to her parents bedroom. She stood there for a moment before speaking up. "Look... I know I have a track record with drugs myself, but not mom. Why would she have those?" She eyed the bag in his hand.

Eric shook his head. "I... I don't know." After another moment, he turned his gaze toward her. "How long have you known?"

"Well, I really think something started while you were in jail. She had a prescription for an anti-depressant and one for an anti-anxiety, but these..." She pulled out her phone and pulled up a Google search on the pills and walked over to show him. "These are painkillers. I don't know when or where she started getting these."

Eric read a few lines about painkillers and their abuse. He looked away, still upset.

"If I didn't watch her take them... I could have sworn they'd be yours. Dad... the way you've been acting lately..." She shook her head.

"I know, honey, I know. I just..." There weren't any words for him to say because there weren't any to find. He didn't even know why he was acting the way he was, so how could he explain it to someone else?

Julie got a little emotional as she sat down next to her speechless father. "It's like... I'm scared to leave Gracie knowing that mom is high as a kite and my dads just as equally out of it." She knew she was the last person to be saying these things. She smoked pot with Tim for almost three years. It was just different somehow. Pills and pot were not on the same spectrum of high.

Eric reached out for his daughter. "Oh, baby. I promise you don't need to worry." He was now worried about Tami. He could lie to Julie but his subconscious wouldn't let him do it to himself. Before he let her go, he gave her a kiss on the head. "I'm gonna get to the bottom of this." He held up the baggie.

"This is so... four years ago." She said, recalling on past times.

Between thoughts Eric's eyes caught a glimpse of the clock. _Damn._ He had to get ready and head to work pretty quick. He didn't have the time to sit there and dwell on what would have to be dealt with later. "True." He said before putting the pills back where he found them. "I, uh... I have to go to work. So... we'll just deal with this tonight."

Once her dad hustled out of the house for the day, Julie was left to her own devices with Gracie. She cleaned up the kitchen, watched a little TV and even took a shower. None of those things could get her mind off what her mother had been hiding. She got up from where she was sitting and hovered in the doorway of her parents room. Her eyes were fixated on the drawer that held the pills.

Her gut was telling her to leave well enough alone and let them deal with it as a family tonight. Her head on the other hand, wanted her to go into that drawer and dispose of the drugs. Her thoughts lingered on doing just that as she envisioned her mom coming home and going to where the pills were, only to find they were missing. That feeling of panic and anxiety after being caught was something Julie was familiar with. The thing was, did she really want to put those feelings onto her mother after experiencing it herself?

* * *

Tim woke up in his truck to someone banging on the window. The sunlight hurt his eyes at first but once they adjusted he could see who was waiting to greet him. It was Mindy. He sat up and turned his sore neck around. He spent the night outside of the Collette's house just in case Brandon and his fools came back around. He didn't really care about what business she had with him, but he was concerned about his son in the situation.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." She called through the glass.

He rolled down the window and gave her a smile. "Hey, Mindy."

"Well, c'mon. Get the fuck out and give me a hug."

He was a little reluctant at first, since she'd been the only person to leave with Tyra back then. "Alright." He hopped out of the truck and hugged the short Collette. "How you doin', girl?"

"I'm alright. Working again." She gave him a look.

He nearly laughed. "Really, Mindy? Stripping again? C'mon, that is so tired out."

"Tell me about it." She laughed. "Me and Tyra are the same old tired ass sisters."

Tim's breath caught in his throat at the mention of Tyra's name. When he left Landry's again and came back, she were already back home. Now, she must have been just right inside. He looked over at the small house. _Was he really ready to see her, though?_ "So... uh, where were you this whole time? It's been... forever."

She stared up at his sad face and swallowed hard. "Um... Baton Rouge. We've been over in Louisiana."

He shook his head. "And... did she ever say... why she left?"

Mindy nodded. "Yeah... kinda. She was really hormonal and emotional while she was pregnant. That whole _traumatic_ thing that went down with y'all... I don't know. She didn't take it too well, I guess and said she wouldn't raise the baby around it."

_Bullshit!_ He wanted to say, but didn't. "She know I'm out here?" Mindy nodded that she did and he closed his eyes. He felt like she was watching him but she probably wasn't. This had to be just as emotional for her at it was for him. He looked back at her. "So, did your mom tell you?"

"About what?"

"Uh, about the guys that showed up after I came over." He was confused as to why Angela wouldn't have said something.

"Guys? What gu..." Mindy paused. She knew what guys he had to be talking about. The Pulido brothers.

"What? You know them... don't you?" He recalled the encounter. "Fucking Brandon." He mumbled.

"Brandon..? Oh, shit." She got an unsettling feeling and turned back toward the house. She stared at it for a moment. "Tyra... kinda stepped in some shit while we were over there."

Tim straightened his still tired posture. "What kind of shit? It was some Justin Bieber looking motherfucker and two Jersey Shore castoffs." That was literally the best explanation he could give of the three guys. The main one, Brandon, had hair like a paintbrush with dark roots and light tips. The other two had tall, dark greaser-meets-guido hair. None of them looked like they were from these parts.

"Well, she was dating Brandon..." She paused and thought of how long her sister was with the jerk. "For about a year. He was some rich daddy's boy or whatever. Anyway, some shit went down when he was drunk and he hit her." She watched as Tim's jaw clenched even though there was nothing he could do. "After that happened, she stole a fuckload of his money and we left."

Tyra watched as her sister traded words with Tim from the window. She watched as his eyes flicked toward the house a few times. Every time they did, she felt like he could see through everything and was looking right at her. Her heart fluttered in her chest before she turned away. She looked over at Tate, who was sitting on the couch.

Her mother had done what was right. At first she found herself a little upset that she let Tim meet Tate without her being present. That was a big thing. She wanted to be there for that but like the last four and a half years, she just wasn't. As usual, she being selfish again. What else was her mom supposed to do? Deny him the right to see Tate? She'd done enough of that herself. Guilt ate at her stomach as she wondered which minuet he would come walking through that door. She sat down next to her boy and played with his blonde strands to calm her nerves.

A few more minuets went by before she heard the door open. She looked up and saw Mindy. Alone. "Where's Tim?"

"He's waiting for you outside." She looked down at Tate. "Just you." Mindy kept everything else she talked with Tim about to herself. It would come out soon enough.

Tyra stared at her sister, confused. "Why just me? He doesn't want to see him?" She pointed to Tate.

"That's just what he said, Tyra. Now, I think you two need a little one on one time... don't you?"

Tyra frowned at her fake, cheeky smile and sarcastic tone. "Mindy... _you_ of all people should know how serious this is. Watch him... I'll be right back."

She could still see him standing out by his truck from where she stood. He went out of her sight as she made her way to the front door and then he was back. As she opened the door, a breeze hit her skin and gave her goosebumps. She stepped down the front steps and walked into the grass toward the street where he was parked. Her hands traced over the bumps that still lingered on her arms. When she got to the road, he climbed into his truck and slammed the door. She looked at the ground before looking at him.

There he was, in all of his long-haired, brooding glory. His green eyes looked fiery red from her view from front of his truck. She didn't move a muscle until he nodded for her to get in. While she walked around the truck, she let two fingers trace along the side. It looked nicer and less beat up as she remembered. Her hand then slid into the handle. She pulled the door open and climbed in. It crashed to a close and she sat there facing forward, nervously.

Tim sat there, too. Staring out at the bright blue sky. He could see Tyra sitting next to him out of the corners of his eyes. He breathed in through his nose, hoping to catch her scent before starting the truck.

"Where are we going?"

Her smooth voice made him finally look at her. He watched as she tried to give him a smile. A beautiful smile and sad eyes, that's what made him weak in the knees. He had a niche for dating girls that fit the description, _she_ definitely fell into it. "Tyra..."

She closed her eyes after he said her name. Emotion was bubbling inside of her and it was only a matter of time before it all came rushing out. "Tim." She opened her eyes and really looked at him. His hair was longer then usual and messy. He looked older with the scruff on his face. His puppy dog eyes were still the same, though.

After a few moments of just looking at her, Tim reached over Tyra and pulled the seat belt out for her. She grabbed it but when she did, she grabbed his hand, too. He felt his heart skip a beat before he pulled away. He switched gears and slowly drove from the house.

Tyra spoke after gathering herself. Tim's touch was still lingering on her hand."But for real, Tim... where are we going?"

He gave her a familiar look. "To visit an old friend."

* * *

After he clocked out at seven, Eric lingered around the office. He caught himself up in what exactly he was going to do when he got home. He had no clue that was for sure. How was one supposed to confront ones wife about something like that? When things went down with Julie while she was in high school, that was just a totally different situation. They were her parents, they were supposed to look out for her. Now, he was lost in how to go about this with Tami. She was her own person, but he was her husband and that _definitely_ counted for something.

It was nearly eight-thirty by the time he drug himself out of the building and into the night sky. The ride home was exhausting for his mind. He'd been able to get his mind off it for most of the day since tasks kept him busy, but now there wasn't another thought in his head.

He pulled up to the house and could see that Julie wasn't home. _Damn._ With her being the only other person that knew what was going on, he needed to talk to her. Tami was home, though. He parked next to her car and got out of the Explorer. He found her at the dining table with a glass of wine and Gracie was watching some cartoons on the television.

"Hey, babe." He said as he joined her at the table. "How was your day?"

"Oh, it was alright. Got the construction guys on for another week or two making the improvements we needed." She took a sip from her class. "But yeah... it was good. Got out of there by two. How was work?"

Eric kicked off his shoes under the table. "Busy. We were pretty steady all night." He tried to sound as casual as he could when all he could do was wonder if she was under the influence right now. If she was, she shouldn't be drinking. A few moments passed where he was readying himself to bring it up when Julie came bounding through the front door.

"Hey, y'all." She called. Once inside, Julie made eye contact with both her parents. Her mother looked alright, maybe a little tired while her dad actually normal. Like the guy he was before prison, not the guy he was nowadays. She tried to read her fathers eyes without making anything obvious. Her mother was _right_ there so they had to be coy.

"Hi, sweetheart." Eric smiled.

"So, dad... do we still have that ping pong table in the garage?" Julie couldn't remember the last time she even saw that old thing, let alone the last time it was used.

"We should." He thought about the last time he remembered using the table. It had felt like another lifetime ago when really it was just a few years. He stood up. "Let me change real quick and I'll meet you out there."

She walked out to the garage alone. That too had changed over the years. Even when Tim moved out again, they'd left all the stuff the way it was. When Eric got out is when things finally changed. Now it was filled with a lot of Gracie's things that she'd outgrown. She looked around and saw the table shoved into the far corner. There was a clearing by the garage door so she scooted it over there.

"Now... if I were paddles and balls... where would I be?" She looked around the garage for the missing pieces before her dad came in.

"Man, that thing takes be back."

"I know, right. I just can't find the paddles and stuff."

He helped her look around the messy garage. While doing so, he decided it was the best time to talk to Julie about what was going on. "Hey... so, you didn't do anything yet, right?" He looked over to make sure the door was closed. It was.

Julie stopped looking. "I wanted to... but no, I didn't do anything. To be honest, we shouldn't do anything just yet either."

Eric gave her a look. "Why not? What are you talking about?"

"I mean, think about it." She'd spent a lot of time today while watching her sister thinking about what they should do. "I think we should let it be, for now... unless she's being obvious." Her dad was about to speak up but she kept on going. "I know it sounds dumb but... I don't want it to be another situation like mine. I know she's not a rebellious teenage girl, but she might get upset and do more and more of the stuff like I did. I just smoked weed, dad... but controlled drugs like that can be dangerous."

He gave some thought to what she was saying. "So, when do we get to bring it up? I just don't think I can bite my tongue that much longer. I spent half the day thinking about doing this tonight."

"So did I. This is mom we're talking about. I feel like... maybe we should do a little investigating before we try anything. Like check her phone and see who could be supplying her."

Eric stared at his daughter. _Who exactly had she become after being involved with Tim Riggins?_ He recalled when Tami told him that Tim and Julie weren't just smoking weed, but they were selling it, too. A lot of it. It only took over a year but she'd stumbled upon the stash one day while cleaning up. That was when Tim moved back out and never even came to visit him again. He must have been too ashamed or embarrassed.

What Julie was talking about wasn't sounding half as bad as it should have. "Okay, we'll give it some time." He looked over at the table. "Come help me set this down."

"What about the..."

"I think they're taped up underneath it. I told Tim to do that way back when and if nobody's touched this since..." She helped him lower the table and he got down and looked at the bottom of the table. Sure enough there were two paddles and three balls. "This is where they would be." He got up and started taking the duck tape off.

She looked down at the table. It was pretty much set up exactly where the bed used to be. Flashes from her past with Tim hit her hard. It wasn't like she wanted him back, that just wasn't the kind of life she ended up wanting. Even if she originally did. He hadn't really wanted it either, it sort of fell into his lap but he didn't have any other choice after a while. She did and she made other plans for herself. The breakup was hard. She might just be lying if she said she was completely over it, but it didn't matter anymore. Her mind wouldn't let itself picture them together again.

She finished high school like a zombie, studying in her room all the time but managed to make it into the top ten percent of her class. Not to shabby considering the fucks she did not give while running around with Riggins.

Eric handed her a paddle. "C'mon. We at least gotta play one game." He could tell her mind was elsewhere.

Julie came back down to her own reality. The past wasn't where she needed her head to be since she needed to be dealing with current problems. "You're on." She smiled.

* * *

**thanks for reading. more on the way.**

**chapter title inspired by:  
the obvious trouble in the story and for Tyra... Trouble - Coldplay seemed fitting.**

**hope everyone has a great holiday. ^_^**


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